YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE YOU NEED ATTEMPT TO GET AHEAD OF

"My goal is not to better than anyone else, but to be better than I used to be."

Dr. Wayne Dyer, 20th/21st century American psychologist

If you improve yourself each day you will have done all that anyone, yourself included, can expect of you. 

Time to refocus your efforts?

WASTED RESOURCES YOU DON'T HAVE TO WASTE

"In politics the middle way is none at all."

John Adams (1735-1826) Second President of the United States.

"Politics" in business is a different sort.

It is the often not so subtle maneuvering to gain advantage over those we should view as allies: our coworkers.

Note to CEO's: You can't stop it; office politics is all pervasive. However do everything in your power to stop it.

It is wasted resources that should be directed toward your customers and competition.

NOW THAT'S REALLY STUPID!

"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."

H. G. Wells (1866-1946) British-born American author.

This applies equally well in our personal and professional lives, but for the moment, just think about how it relates to work.

Being honest, how many of your co-worker's ideas do you oppose because you didn't think of them first?

1+1=3

"If you want to be incrementally better be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better be cooperative."

Unknown

I could just as easily rate competitiveness as being more important than being cooperative, but whichever you choose, one without the other renders each much less valuable.

ABOUT THOSE PRIORITIES

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman/scientist/philosopher

In addition to you there are three constituencies you need concern yourself with in business.

1. Your customer
2. Your competition
3. Your co-workers

If you find you spend more time, or worse, much more time, dealing with number 3 than numbers 2 and certainly 1, you won't for long.

Your company will fail, you along with it.

 

THE BEST REVENGE

"Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated."

George Bernard Shaw

19th/20th century Irish writer

Intimidation comes in many forms.

You can be intimidated by someone else's ideas, competence, intelligence, relationship with others important to you . . . any number of things.

The best revenge . . . do better.

Competitive Kindness

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century American poet/essayist/lecturer

What if any role does kindness play in business?

Does it have a formal place in business plans?

Scarecrows Around Every Corner

"Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men."

Thomas H. Huxley

19th century British biologist

Sometimes we fear what possibly, but not certainly, we may need to fear, before we need to fear it.

And for that we are fools.

Understand the potential consequences of your actions, and decide based on that what course you will take.

There are enough real threats to be avoided without adding the unreal ones we perceive as real.

Become The Best!

"We are citizens of the world.  The tragedy of our times is that we don't know this."

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States

And we are still today in all things and none more than business.

As "motherhoodish" as it may sound, the only way to protect ourselves from foreign competition is to continually out perform them.

  

I've Got You Now!

"Men are the sport of circumstance when it seems that circumstance is the sport of men."

Lord Byron

18th century British poet

Sun Tzu also makes this point in "The Art of War".

Victory often comes to those whose opponents think they have the upper hand.

As in war, so too is it in business. 

The Power of Negotiation

"The greatest conqueror is he who overcomes the enemy without a blow."

Chinese proverb

The more broad your interpretation of "overcome", the more empathy you have for your "enemies", the easier this is to do.

And yes I mean in business, particularly in business.

To The Victors Go The Spoils . . . Whether They Want Them Or Not?

"We acquire the strength we have overcome."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century American poet/essayist

What do you acquire from competitors you have overcome?

Because of having overcome them, there is something about their "strength" that makes me question its value to me.

Give No Quarter!

"Surely the best way to meet the enemy is head on, in the field, and not wait until they plunder our homes."

Oliver Goldsmith

18th century Irish writer

You compete but have you ever really thought about what that means?

Do you react to your competitor or do they react to you?

Who's meeting who head on?